Know what sucks?

When you spend a ton of time, effort, and cash trying out marketing techniques… only to have them TANK.

Look. Marketing techniques can (and do) work extremely well. But which one works best changes all the time though. It’s maddening to see one of your favorites slowly become obsolete.

There’s another way:

You can base your marketing on timeless principles. Then you can use techniques selectively to apply those principles.

Principles show you how to get attention, build relationships, and motivate people to buy what you’re selling. They can’t be outdated or replaced.

There’s no shortage of marketing advice focusing on techniques…

But there are only a few places that give you a good rundown on principles.

Gary Bencivenga’s Marketing Bullets is one of those places.

Bencivenga is the real deal. He’s a great storyteller. Not to mention, one of the most successful copywriters alive.

He was kind enough to break down invaluable marketing principles into short, easy to digest “marketing bullets.” And they’re 100% free!

It doesn’t matter if you’re a business owner, a marketer, or fledgling copywriter. If you’re even remotely interested in making money, you need to read these.

They’re short, but take your time.

These gems are PACKED full of value and actionable insights.

Study the best to become the best.

It’s time to load your marketing gun with some better bullets.

“My name’s Corey, and I’m a narcissist…”

Now’s the part where we go around the room, share our afflictions, and let those tears flow.

No?

All right. Maybe next time then. I’ll bring the tissues.

You know, I don’t think a little narcissism is uncommon at all. It’s just part of the human experience.

Think of how you read books and watch movies…

You imagine what you would do if you were in the character’s shoes.

You imagine how it would feel to go through what they’re going through.

That’s why post-apocalyptic shows like The Walking Dead are so popular. Because none of us have ever seen an apocalypse (let me know if you have), we’re left wondering what we would do if one went down.

It’s natural to want to rave about your awesome products and services. Especially if you built them from scratch.

But there’s a problem…

The people you want to become customers are a wee bit narcissistic too.

They want to know what’s in it for them.

If they can’t relate to what’s on your website—if they can’t mentally insert themselves into the narrative and make themselves the hero—they’ll find somewhere else where they can.

(Usually, one of your competitors…)

Your business is all yours…

Except your business website. That’s for the people you want to become customers. 100%.

Too many businesses forget this. They let their narcissism trump their prospects’ narcissism. That’s why they lose.

You’re better than that!

I know I was.

For as long as I could remember, the thought of selling just made me feel icky.

“Selling” meant sleaze.

It meant used car salesmen with wolf grins.

It meant the cutest Girl Scout on the block standing on your porch and giving you pouty eyes until you caved and ordered a box (or 10) of Thin Mints.

I told myself I would do something better. That I would never resort to such shameful tactics!

It took me awhile to realize how stupid this was…

You know what snapped me out of it?

It was an audio recording by Earl Nightingale called “The Strangest Secret in the World.” Definitely check it out.

Anyways, something he said in that recording struck me:

Each of us succeeds in life to the extent of our ability to sell. Selling our families on our ideas, selling education in schools, selling our children on the advantages of living a good and honest life…

Hmm…

I was in denial at first, but eventually it sunk in: I’d been selling all along!

Ever try to convince a friend to see a certain movie? You’re selling.

Persuade your significant other to cook you dinner? Selling.

Get your kid to brush her teeth before bedtime? That’s selling too.

You aren’t allergic to selling itself. You’re allergic to the sleazy tactics people use to do it.

Storytelling is like the raw honey can make your sales allergy go away. It’s ethical and effective. Your audience will actually look forward to your marketing messages instead of dashing to the nearest shower to wash off the regret.

Every business has a story…

What’s yours?

You might not have thousands of employees or a seven-figure marketing budget…

But you have a story.

Everyone does…

It doesn’t matter if you’re a solo entrepreneur, a startup, or a titan like Coca-Cola.

It doesn’t matter if you’re selling “boring” things like digital asset management systems or “exciting” things like skydiving trips.

You have a unique set of experiences, beliefs—a one of a kind perspective that shapes the way you view and relate to the world.

Businesses that downplay or hide their stories behind the anonymity of a “corporate” website are doing themselves (and their customers) a HUGE disservice.

No matter what you’re selling, something drove you to create it and market it. A problem, frustration, or pain point you needed to solve.

Why not start there to connect with customers on a human level?

There’s GOLD in your story (even if it seems boring to you):

• It’s unique
• It’s free to share
• It answers a key question people are already asking (“who are you?”)

Your story can be the campfire where potential customers gather. It can be the launch pad of authentic relationships in a world of fleecers and fraudsters.

So, what drove you to business?

Pain?

Insecurity?

Overwhelm?

We’ve all hurt. We’ve all felt small. We’ve all taken on more than we can chew.

We’re more alike than we know.

Sharing your story empowers customers to share theirs. It lays the foundation for long-term success.

What’s your story?

It’s time to share it with the world.

Can’t find the right angle? Need help telling your story in a way that resonates?

Go here for help.

If your copy isn’t resonating, the first step to fixing it is getting the right diagnosis.

You wouldn’t pay an auto shop to change your brakes if your engine was running hot, would you?

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what a lot of people are doing with their copy:

They blow everything up and start from scratch…

When they could have rearranged what they had to make it sparkle.

You might be saying the RIGHT things in the WRONG order. Moving things around might be all it takes to get people to see your message from a more compelling angle.

One word can make all the difference.

Case in point: a Japanese restaurant here in Austin. They focus on healthy options for fitness-conscious types. And they also separate themselves from competitors thanks to how fast they prepare your food.

The restaurant’s name?

“Zen: Japanese Food Fast”

This is genius level copywriting here…

Imagine if things were the other way. What if it was, “Zen: Japanese Fast Food?”

No bueno…

The restaurant would REPULSE their target demographic: fitness-conscious people. People would think their food was just as unhealthy as other fast food places. They’d find somewhere else to eat.

Simply changing the order of the copy helps Zen convey a key benefit (speed) WITHOUT associating their food with fast food fryers and super size meals.

It makes all the difference between sparkling copy and a dud.

Before you scrap the copy you have and start over, take a second and focus on the ORDER you’re presenting it.

You might have everything you need to make the sale…

A restructuring, instead of wholesale demolition, might be in order.

Say the same message in different ways, and you could get a dramatically different result.

It can make as much of a difference as “the dog bit Johnny” vs. “Johnny bit the dog.”

Click here for help.